So Much for the Cheese Fries
by Dave the Wordsmith
Summary: What begins as an ordinary night out for Daria and Jane turns into something they'll never forget, thanks to some cheese fries.


**Title: So Much for the Cheese Fries...  
**

**Author:** SinisterDragula

**Rating:** Rated T

**Genre:** Drama/Friendship

**Words: **1,847

**Disclaimer: **Daria is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International, Inc. All the copyrights associated with Daria belong to them. Only the ideas contained within this story are the property of the author. No profit is being earned by the writer of this story.

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A dark, ominous cloud enveloped the peaceful sky with each second until it became almost pitch black. The rolling thunder cackled a few moments after lightning shot through the sky. Freezing, misty rain floated down onto the two girls' clothing, their fabric glistening with moisture. The auburn haired girl shivered at the crack of thunder and looked at her companion.

"Seems the weatherman's prediction of an overcast evening is as perfect as George W. Bush's math skills."

"Possibly. Or, kooky scientists conducted artificial weather manipulation experiments that went awry."

"Jane, you may be on to something."

Daria winced at the fierce wind that whisked by her throat, which forced her to lift her shoulders. She flipped her jacket collars up to cover the sides of her face. Daria and Jane's footsteps increased in velocity until Jane spotted the fast food spot at the address she discovered a few days prior. To their right, "Tom's Cheese Fries" displayed its colorful cursive writing on the windowpane. After she read the name a second time, Jane caught a glance at Daria, whose eyebrows shot up. Jane let out a diminutive chuckle.

Daria swiveled toward Jane, who ceased her laughs. "Jane, you shouldn't have."

Jane smiled and lifted her hands up. "Daria, I had no idea! I swear!"

Daria raised her eyebrow. "Uh huh. Look, is this an attempt to throw a jab at me?"

Jane frowned and crossed her arms. "Come on, Daria. You two talked yesterday, and you told me he's fine with being friends. Now come on, kid. Let's increase our cholesterol levels with this grease laden sustenance, Boston style. It's on me. Next time, you owe me." She nudged Daria.

Daria grumbled under her breath, but stopped once more than enough time had passed. "Fine."

Bells jingled once Jane entered Tom's Cheese Fries before Daria, who took a minute to take off her soaked jacket, fold it and place it under her arm. The whistles of the wind faded away once the door closed shut. Muffled holiday-themed music played from the store's speakers. Various customers sitting at their booths ate and talked amongst themselves. Jane stepped to the front to order and paid the cashier for two orders of cheese fries and drinks. In the meantime, Daria occupied one side of a booth toward the back of the room, where no one else was close by. As soon as she recognized Jane's figure approach the table, Daria looked up into her blue eyes.

"You ordered mine with extra cheese?"

Jane took the seat opposite of Daria's with a small grin on her face. "Yes. Sharp cheese, might I add. And I didn't forget the triple bypass surgery inducing sauce you wanted to go on top."

Daria grinned. "How gracious of you."

"Hey, that's what friends are for."

"That's definitely reassuring." Daria let the shadow of her smile shine through.

After what felt like forever, although it was only five minutes, their order number was called by the female at the pick up section of the front counter. "Well, amiga. Our deadly lactose and starch concoction awaits us."

"The sooner, the better."

Jane left and came back as swiftly as she departed, with the red tray clutched in both hands and set it down in the middle of the table. She observed the steam rising from the cheese covered fries and allowed its relaxing and hypnotizing aroma to fill her nostrils. Daria and Jane both grabbed their cups full of soda.

"Here's to the lactose intolerant population, who can't enjoy partaking in this glorious food. And here's to acne, hives, and your throat swelling shut."

"I couldn't have said it any better," Daria took her drink, clinked it against Jane's and took a sip from her straw. She then grabbed some fries with her fork and allowed them to enter her mouth.

"Trent should be back in town in a few days," Jane's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table. "I just hope he remembers what day it is."

Daria scarfed down some more fries. "Knowing Trent, he'll be here on Friday when it's really Saturday," She said after chewing while Jane took her time devouring her cheese fries she stuffed down.

"And don't let him think he's late. That would be even worse," Jane looked up from her meal to see Daria, occupied with something else. Jane could see Daria's fingers raking up and down her neck. "Daria, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were scratching your neck. And it's turning red."

"Dammit," Daria said under her breath. She grimaced slightly at the tingly itchy feeling that spread around her throat and face while she let her fingernails temporarily relieve her "pain". "I think the rain irritated my skin or something." She winced at the weird feeling she felt around her lips and throat.

"Damn those artificial weather manipulation scientists and their man-made rain," Jane waited until she saw Daria go for another bite of cheese fries. She sighed in relief. The thought of something going wrong with Daria vanished from the back of her mind. As soon as Jane looked away, she heard the sound of a plastic fork and cup crash to the tile floor, followed by a soft moan. Jane stood up and found Daria lying on her side in her part of the booth, wheezing and grabbing at her face, redder than Jane had ever seen.

Jane gasped. "Oh my God! Daria!" She rushed over to Daria and kneeled by her side. Jane looked over her shoulder at the other shocked customers and workers with a look of disdain. "Come on! Someone call 911! She's in trouble here!"

Daria wearily reached out to Jane's blurry, distraught face. "Jane..." She got out between gasps of breath. The image of Jane's mouth wide open in shock and her hands on Daria's left arm comprised of what she remembered last before her eyelids slowly closed shut and the world around her became silent.

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Quiet beeps and muffled voices traveled throughout Daria's ears, but found she couldn't open her eyes. Darkness was all she could see.

"She's fine, right?" She heard a familiar voice ask. Her voice trembled in nervousness.

"Yes, but we have to keep her here until tomorrow. She can go in the morning, after we make sure she's all right," Daria assumed it was a male doctor's voice, but before she could figure it out, she felt her mind become obfuscated and drift off to another dimension.

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Daria opened her eyes, her eyeglasses placed properly on her face. Her eyelids rose completely once she felt the hospital bed mattress under her. Rays from the morning sun enabled her to get a clear view of the all-white room. She sat up and lifted the covers to find a hospital gown in place of her normal wardrobe.

Daria sighed. "So much for the cheese fries."

"Rise and shine, amiga."

"Jane?"

Daria whipped her head to the right to see Jane enter the hospital room with a doctor, his shiny stethoscope rested around his neck. They walked over to Daria's side as they watched her sit up a little in her bed.

Jane smiled. "Yo. Enjoy the complementary ice chips?"

"Don't remind me."

The doctor smiled and brought out his clipboard he had by his side. "Hello, Daria. Last night, we did some blood work. From your description of what you ate last night and some of the test results, we found that you may be allergic to a specific kind of sharp cheddar cheese. Next time, make sure you ask for another kind of cheese when ordering food and preparing food on your own."

"Somewhere, a Hindu let out a big sigh of relief."

He glanced down at his papers. "From your previous records here, you don't have any reactions listed for lactose or any other related ingredients. It's good your friend here was there last night and handled the situation carefully. Otherwise, the mild anaphylactic shock would've rendered you unconsciousness, or worse."

"Jane, I think you should've become am EMT." Daria said to her own amusement.

"Right. Like Trent should've been a poet laureate."

"Well, I'll give you two time to talk. Later, Daria, I'll be back with your complete blood work results and give you a referral to an allergy clinic to make sure my diagnosis is correct. Then you can be on your way home," The doctor said before he departed the room. A few minutes passed, silence the only exchange between Daria and Jane.

Daria sat up straight, her face still in shock about what she heard the doctor say. "Was he talking about the same Jane I've known for the past four years?"

Jane sat at the end of the bed, sitting perpendicular to Daria. Her legs dangled a few inches above the floor. "Maybe. Or it could've been my secret, evil twin sister hell bent on ruining my reputation for not caring so much about other people, especially a true friend like you," Jane turned to face Daria. "By the way, some guy used one of his epipens on you while waiting for the medics to get there. I think he had a secret crush on you."

Daria placed her glasses on the white dresser to her left. "Yeah, I'll remember to keep that in mind. Um, Jane?" Daria slowly lay herself down and brought the blanket up closer to her chin. Her lips formed a small smile. "Thanks."

Jane returned the facial expression. "No problem, kid. Get your rest."

"Tomorrow, pizza?" Daria asked while Jane hopped off the bed and turned to face her.

"Sure. With extra sharp cheddar cheese."

Daria's smile grew a little bigger. "Deal."

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**The End.**


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